1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a shift knob assembly for a vehicle in which an assembly process of the shift knob is simplified, and enables efficient assembling/disassembling of the shift knob.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a vehicle is provided with a transmission for changing torque and rotational speed of an engine, and a shift lever for shifting gears is provided on a driver's side. The shift lever is manufactured in various shapes depending on whether the transmission is a manual transmission or an automatic transmission. The design and material of shift levers can be a factor that affects marketability of vehicles because additional functions for improving driver's convenience recently have been added to the shift levers.
In particular, in the shift lever, a shift knob, with which a driver directly contacts, is configured such that the knob is screwed on threads that are formed on a rod. Thereby, assembling the shift knob may be both difficult and time consuming.
Typically, the shift knob is coupled to the rod by turning the shift knob relative to the rod at least twelve times, and at a thread-less last section of the rod, which is about four threads in length, the shift knob is forcibly inserted into the rod by forcibly turning the shift knob so as to prevent the shift knob from being separated from the rod.
Thereby, the assembly process of the shift knob is both difficult and time consuming. In particular, when the shift knob is forcibly inserted into the rod, it is difficult to precisely align the shift knob such that the front surface of the knob faces forward accurately.
In addition, the shift knob that is assembled with the rod by turning the shift knob is problematic in that, when a driver turns the shift knob very strongly, the shift knob may be forcibly and undesirably turned relative to the rod, and may be separated from the rod.
The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present invention, and is not intended to mean that the present invention falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.